I'm still not sure what I think of the sexism in these shows. The stunningly beautiful, very tiny women, the constant commentary on their bodies, the ongoing harassment that they try to take in stride. Why do we like watching this so much? It's disturbing. This morning, I heard a commentator on NPR theorize that maybe it pleases us because it makes us realize how far we've come. I'm not buying it.
I admire how well Mad Men is done, but I found it just too unpleasant to watch. I guess I just assumed Pan Am would have similar issues; glad to hear it’s not so grim.
Btw, if you didn’t see the interview with Nancy Hult Ganis, an executive producer/fact checker for Pan Am, you might find it interesting.
Her take on it seems to be echoed (in other articles) by other people involved with the show: they all seem to be basically saying “The job wasn’t sexist, it was empowering.” They seem surprised by all the people saying that the girdle and weight stuff are sexist. I wonder if the show people really just mean “it wasn’t as sexist as the rest of mainstream culture at the time.”
Oh, here’s a better and more nuanced article (more nuanced than the Ganis one I just linked to, I mean). Also a bit more relevant to what you were talking about.